Boone, N.C. -- The Youngstown State football team's run for a fifth national title came to an end in the semifinals following a 49-24 loss to defending national champion and top-ranked Appalachian State on a chilly Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium.

    YSU finishes the season with an 11-3 mark, the most wins for the program since 1999. Appalachian State (13-1) advances to play Massachusetts in the National Championship Game next Friday in Chattanooga, Tenn.

    Appalachian State posted 517 yards in total offense, including 353 on the ground. Freshman quarterback Armanti Edwards passed for 164 yards with a touchdown and rushed for 110 yards and three scores while running back Kevin Richardson rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

    Youngstown State senior Marcus Mason ran for 121 yards with a touchdown on 22 carries.
    YSU had 332 yards of total offense, with 172 coming on the ground and 160 coming via the air.

    The Penguins' first possession of the second half set up the Mountaineers' fifth touchdown of the day. Joe Bishop's botched punt set up ASU at the Penguin 10-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Edwards scampered 10 yards for a score as the Mountaineers went ahead 35-14.

    YSU was able to add three points on a 31-yard Brian Palmer field goal, but in the fourth, ASU put the game away with two more touchdowns.

    Devon Moore scored on a 25-yard run and Edwards capped off the Mountaineers' outburst with an eight-yard scamper with 8:57 left in the game.

    The Guins picked up a late touchdown when reserve quarterback Mike Schneider threw a two-yard pass to T.J. Peterson with 4:30 left.

    The first half featured six touchdowns, five of which came in the second quarter.
     Down three touchdowns, 28-7, a Tom Zetts 16-yard touchdown strike to Monquantae Gibson cut the Penguins deficit in half, 28-14, with 1:02 left before half. On the drive, Zetts hit T.J Peterson for 23 yards, rushed for 11 and found Mason on an 19-yard screen pass before hitting Gibson in the end zone.     

    Trailing 14-0, Mason put YSU on the board with a one-yard plunge to trim the deficit to 14-7 with 8:24 left in the second quarter. 

    The Penguins used a 31-yard pass from Zetts to Louis Irizarry to move the ball from their own 44-yard line to the Mountaineers' 25 to set up Mason's touchdown.

    Appalachian State got on the board first with a five-play, 60-yard drive yard capped by an 18-yard touchdown strike from Armanti Edwards to Hans Batichon to take a 7-0 lead with 1:23 left in the first quarter. The Mountaineers converted a critical third-and-six to keep the drive alive on Edwards' 38 yard pass to Josh Johnson to the YSU 18-yard line. The Mountaineers scored two plays later.

    After the Penguins punted the close the first stanza, Edwards capped a 78-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown rush to put Appalachian State ahead, 14-0 at the 12:59 mark of the second quarter.

   Kevin Richardson scored ASU's third touchdown of the half to take a 21-7 lead with a one-yard dive at the 6:36 mark to close a five-play, 62-yard drive.

    Richardson's 18-yard touchdown scamper - his second of the day - at the 3:44 mark gave the Mountaineers a 28-7 advantage. An Edwards' 34-yard pass to William Mayfield from the ASU 24-yard line to the YSU YSU 42 set up the Richardson run.